Roar of the Unclean Eye!
by TsukiMato
Summary: My first Fanfic published online! Sorry, but the first chapter is a lot of explaination behind the history and structure of the kagegakure no sato. R&R Thanks!
1. Chapter 1

Hey! Thanks for reading! Ch.1 is mostly explanation of how the Kagegakure no sato works and its history. I promise Ch.2 will be more fufiling! Enjoy!

--------------------------------------------------   
A soft funeral march played as a young man of no more than 15 was led to the gallows. His reddish-black hair was blown gently by soft wind.

A man dressed in black read some things from a scroll as the noose was placed around the youth's neck. "Mato Tsuki, today you are to be executed

according to the crimes you have committed: Murder, Conspiracy to commit murder, murder of children, arson, and various other unforgivable crimes..." The man read.

"...But...it..wasn't.." Mato said, struggling to form words with the rope so tight around his neck. The man with the scroll motioned to  
the hangman, who pulled the lever that made the red-headed youth drop. The fall didn't snap his neck, so he slowly turned red, until his eyes rolled up into his head...

Mato awoke in a cold sweat, shivering uncontrollably. This was the sixth time he had died this week...

In a small country on the outskirts of the known world, there was a relatively new village. This Village was the Shinobi village for the Country of Light, and it was called the Kagegakure no sato, or the Village Hidden in the Shadows. The village was still new (One Kage so far) and the ninja who had helped found it were classed socially by what their respective families did during the war.

The Tenrikyo Clan had been the 'generals' so to speak. The other clans looked to them for leadership, and under them the Country of Light had been able to declare its independence. The Tenrikyo Clan was famous for its Kekkei Genkai, the Miraigan.

Directly underneath the Tenrikyo Clan was the Etsuna Clan, which was the military arm of the village. While the Etsuna Clan members could not direct chakra to their arms, their legendary Etsuna Waltz (A collection of 'steps' that rival the powers of any jutsu) largely helped to quell the fighting.

The Tenyomi Clan and the Chimata Clan were largely used as support ninja. The Tenyomi used their mastery of the human body to hinder the opposition and maximize the allied force's strength, while the Medinin Clan Chimata saved the lives of the fallen. And finally there was the Tsuki Clan. These were the sell-sword assassins.

They did the dirtiest work of the campaign. After the country was established, they fought for the power with the Tenrikyo Clan, arguing that they did all of the work and that the Tenrikyo were just a bunch of glory hogs. The debate raged on, until they attempted to overthrow their rivals unsuccessfully, then the leader of the Tenrikyo ordered that the Tsuki Clan be disbanded permanently. Then the victorious clan chose from their ranks the Kumorikage to lead the village.

After this, things were peaceful in the kagegakure no sato, until the traumatic slaying of many, many villagers six years after the Tsuki clan was banished. They again wanted to seize power, and so knowing that they couldn't beat the other clan by playing fair, they killed the townsfolk and other innocent travelers, hoping the pressure would cause the kumorikage to fold and give in to their demands. The murderers were eventually caught and each was hung individually for their crimes.

Young Mato is the only member of the Tsuki Clan left in the village. When the murders finally ended, an elderly couple found a small child out in the woods, and they decided to raise him. When he reached the age of eight, the kekkei genkai of his clan surfaced in him, the Kegaregan. This caused his pupils to spread into a box shape and for the rest of his eyes to turn a ghastly white color. The elderly couple immediately recognized the 'Unclean' eye as identical to the ones the murdering clan had possessed. After talking it over with his wife, the elderly man lead Mato out into the woods with the goal of killing him.

Young Mato looked up at the old man and smiled, oblivious. The old man's eyes filled with tears as he held up the short blade and stabbed Mato in the side. He pulled it out quickly and ran away, muttering "If your blood was any different...I wouldn't have had to spill it.."

Mato just stayed there, on his side crying as the blood trickled from inside of him. He didn't know why his 'grandpa' had done this to him. Why he had been left. Why he had been hurt. What did his blood have to do with the attack.

As he lay there, the pool growing slowly around him, no one really knows what happened. Mato blacked out, possibly from blood loss, but when he awoke, he was strapped to a chair in the kumorikage's office, with the kumorikage himself over him.

Apparently, a blood soaked Mato had charged into town on all fours, his eyes glowing violently. Luckily, before he could do anything, he was captured by a passing Chuunin, knocked out, and brought to the office. The Kumorikage looked at the youth, who did not struggle in his straps, and asked him why he tried to attack the village and where his parents were.

"I-I-I..." stammered the frightened youth, looking at his side where the blade had pierced him.

"Don't worry son, our medics are the best around. You are perfectly fine. Why Don't you tell me what happened?" the kumorikage said, starting to lose his patience.

"Grandpa...he.." Mato struggled to remember, and when he did his eyes bolted open in shock "He...stabbed me! He tried to kill me...because of my blood..."

"Your Grandpa did this? Tell me kid, did he have eyes like yours!" He demanded, holding a mirror so Mato could see his new eyes.

"Ahh! Take it away! That's not me!" Mato screeched, struggling in the chair. He was recalling the nightmares he had where he would be constantly running away from those same eyes.

Those haunting eyes followed him everywhere he thought that he was safe in, and when they did find him, they consumed him, and he was no longer himself, but rather a horriffic puppet. Mato tensed up, and started thrashing, screaming "Not my eyes! Not my eyes!" until he passed out.

He awoke in the same room, in the same chair, but with the straps undone. "Who are you?" Mato asked in a timid, mouse like voice.

"I am the leader of this village" He said, now smiling at the youth.

"...are you going to kill me?" Young Mato asked.

"No kid, actually I'm feeling generous. Lets get this kid an apartment, on the city's tab of course, and some supplies. Get ready kid, the Academy is expecting you in two days."

Hey, thanks for reading my first story. Just a quick note: the ending might seem kinda wack, but its for a reason. While Mato was out, the Kumorikage used an advanced jutsu with his Miraigan and saw something in his future he musta liked...More to come! After I figure out how to work this thing!


	2. Chapter 2: Clear Cutting

Seven years later...

Mato rolled out of his bed early in the morning. After his nightmare, he was unable to get back to sleep. He yawned as he shuffled out into the kitchen. He fried up some eggs, ate quietly and put the bandage over his left eye as he headed out into the town.

He put the bandage over his eye because it was the one eye that he couldn't repress his bloodline in. The other one was a deep grey, and the other one was the nightmarish symbol of a murdering clan. He could get the kegaregan to appear in either eye, but he always tried to repress it.

Anything that made him out of the ordinary physically he shunned and tried to change, but that cursed eye would not leave him. He hid the eye so that the townspeople would not have to be reminded of his family whenever they saw it.

They still knew it was him and that he was related to _them_, but Mato sensed a little less hostility when he covered it. He often dreamt of villagers saying "Cover it up. You ought to be ashamed just to breathe our air. You are a disgusting creature, so hide, hide from the one's you frighten! Go die filthy, unclean monster!" chanting and chanting it at him while throwing things at him. And for some reason, he couldn't get away. No matter which way he ran, they were there. Scorning him, just for living.

And so he hid his face, doing odd jobs for money so he could pay the next rent, or buy another meal.

He had graduated the Ninja Academy at the age of nine. With no one in his life (the other children hated and feared him as well) he turned to training. He had no talent for Taijutsu, so he focused on Genjutsu. Illusionary techniques were his best. He trained so hard using them on himself, trapping his mind, body and soul in an illusion.

All of his classmates thought he was a weak ninja because he couldn't throw a shuriken accurately, or because his transformation jutsu needed a little bit of work.

Yet none of them could see why when they were sparring and Mato lost, why he never had a scratch on him. This was because they weren't really fighting Mato, and the Sensei's could tell, they just didn't like to acknowledge him because of his bloodline.

Mato walked out to the forest just beyond the wall of the village to collect some much needed firewood. He went deep into the wood, searching for a plump old tree. He found a sturdy, old oak tree and started chopping at it with his axe.

Just as soon as he was ready to drop the tree, he heard what sounded like an explosion. He wiped the sweat off of his brow, replaced the bandage he had taken off to cut, and set off to investigate.

When he arrived he saw one of the girls that had been in his Academy class, Huurin Tenrikyo, had been the source of the explosion. It seems that she was being pursued by some rogue ninja from the country they had seceded from, and she was tossing exploding tags at them.

Huurin had been the number one student in Mato's class, and she was the kumorikage's daughter. She was the only one who actually saw through Mato's genjutsu other then the Sensei.

As she hurled tag after tag, Mato found himself stopped, watching her fight. Every now and then she would touch her forehead, close her eyes, and toss another perfectly placed tag. He was impressed with the abilities her bloodline granted her.

By simply gathering chakra to a specific part of her brain, it allowed her to analyze every factor in the environment around her, giving her the ability to 'see the future' in combat. The more chakra applied, the deeper the analysis. The distant future could be seen in a mystic sense, but only through complete mastery of this bloodline.

Eventually, the enemy ninja seemed to retreat. As Huurin threw a final tag at the fleeing opponents, one of them sprang out from the group.

"Bitch! Let's see how much you can predict when you are blind!" The suicidal shinobi shouted as he threw a powerful flashbomb at Huurin's feet, her last tag exploding in his face, killing him instantly. With her chakra depleted, she couldn't foresee the attack completely, and couldn't shield her eyes fast enough. Everything went white in her world, as she fell to the ground.

Mato leapt out of his hiding spot and caught Huurin before she could hit the ground. He was surprised at his action. Usually he didn't interfere with others. He looked down at her with his revealed eye. She struggled in his arms, then fell limp.

There was a rustling sound out in the forest, not much more than a mouse or squirrel would make, but enough. Mato threw a smoke bomb down and rushed off into the woods. He had her slung around his shoulders as he leapt through the tree branches when the shuriken started flying past them. One of them grazed his face as he cursed aloud and formed a seal

"Yume Bunshen no jutsu!" Several Dream Clones appeared and went out in all directions. The Enemy ninja spread out to chase each one, but the real Mato had unveiled his Kegaregan and had used its illusion suggestion techniques to conceal himself and the unconscious girl. After he made sure it was safe to do so, he started running in the opposite direction. The problem was that he had led them toward the city. The ninja, if they were dumb enough to try and enter, would be crushed, but if they were smart enough to turn around, then they would have an increased chance of running into Mato and Huurin if they tried to get to the town.

After a long ordeal of traveling and making sure he covered their tracks, Mato finally unrolled his sleeping bag, set the blinded kuniochi down on it. Now, twice in one day, he did something he hadn't done since he was little, before his cursed eyes had formed, he smiled honestly at his downed comrade. He shook it off, puzzled by what she did to him, just by him looking at her.

She was a beautiful kuniochi all right : slender, just under average height, jet black hair, intense green eyes, and a face that actually made the isolated Tsuki smile warmly. He looked away, breaking the trance she had over him. He started a fire and began to cook some of the instant ramen he brought with him whenever he went out logging.

He could tell his bunshen were still running, and they still had about ten miles until they reached the town wall, so he didn't feel the need to hide the smoke from the fire. He took out a kunai and used it to slice the sleeve of his shirt off. He made it into a blindfold and placed it over Huurin's eyes.

About a half an hour later, the raven haired ninja stirred a bit, then sat up. She pulled off her blindfold and was about to open her eyes when Mato leapt behind her and placed his hands over her eyes.

"You don't want to do-ooh!" Mato had attempted to warn her about her damaged eyes, but she had seen this action as a threat. So, she not-so-gently placed her elbow in Mato's lung.

"I think I do" Huurin said, opening her eyes. She caught a small glimpse of the campfire before everything went white and searing pain shot through her head.

"Ahh!" she screamed, falling back onto the sleeping bag. "What did you do to my eyes!"

"Nothing! I saved you from those Ninja! Don't you remember? They attacked you, and you did a really good job of holding them off, but one got you with a flashbomb as you killed him. I happened to be nearby...so I saved you..." Mato said, rubbing the spot where she hit him.

"How do I know your not one of them?" she yelled, punching him in the face.

Mato fell backwards and rolled twice. _Man, she has got quite a punch_. He thought, sitting up.

"Chimata no kami keeps us safe in his shadows, the same shadows this village has fallen upon" He quoted the village password.

"Hm...Ok...I still don't trust you though." The weary kunoichi said, laying back down.

"You know, if I wanted to kill you, I could have done it in those hours while you were asleep..." Mato said quietly.

"Doesn't make me trust you" she whispered.

"You hungry Huurin?" he asked, holding a cup of ramen for her to smell.

"How do you know my..." the word was going to be name...until the scent flowed into her senses "Favorite flavor of Ramen was Shrimp!" Mato handed her a pair of chopsticks and the ramen carefully, and she accepted them. As she started eating, Mato did another thing he hadn't done since his youth : he chuckled.

Thank you for reading my newest chapter! More on the way I promise!

Next time: Fight in the Darkness : Find me by my voice!


	3. Chapter 3

The Much Awaited Return of Mato Tsuki!

Chapter Three: Dancing in the Darkness! Find me by the sound of my voice!

As soon as she had finished three instant cups of ramen, the raven haired elite fell asleep yet again. Mato tended the fire and kept watch for the entire night.

The night passed rather un-eventfully, the only significant thing that happened was his cursed bloodline activated on its own again, and it took him an hour to supress the Kegaregan.

Huurin woke up around 7am to an empty camp. She heard the sounds of wood splintering and stood, walking with outstretched hands to the source. Mato saw her and managed to stop her before she walked over a steep edge, earning himself another lung full of elbow.

After realizing that it was again the person who had saved her, she apologised and tried to help him up, only to trip over a root and fall on him.

"I'm so sorry!" She said, attempting to stand, but stumbling a little.

"Its...Fine" Mato wheezed, steadying her.

He led her to the small clearing he had made in the forest and told her that she couldn't return to her village just yet.  
She put up her fists in a defensive stance. "Why the hell not! Are you trying to kidnap me!" She yelled angrily, prompting Mato to clamp his hand over her mouth, which led her to again fill his lung with elbow and his nose with knuckles.

"Huurin...those...shinobi...went to the village...they will realize you did not go that way and come back this way...in about one day...please...do not alert them" Mato choked out, standing slowly and brushing himself off.

"How the hell do you expect me to believe you! I DON'T EVEN KNOW WHO YOU ARE!" Huurin said, striking at the air viscously.

The thought of telling her his identity quickly vanished from his mind. Saved by a Tsuki had actually become a phrase in their village, meaning some form of bad luck had caused them harm. This option was quickly thrown out. Also he would have to knock her out or put some form of genjutsu on her so she wouldn't see his face. They had went to the academy together, but Mato had remained mostly silent and his voice had changed a little since then, but if she saw his face, he feared the worst.

"Stop yelling! They'll kill us if they see us and I don't think I can kill all of them by myself! Which means I have to teach you how to fight blindfolded!" Mato whispered, an undenieable urgency in his voice.

Since Mato regularly hid his eyes, he had become quite adept at functioning with no vision. In the forest clearing, after finally convincing her that he was trying to help, he started training her.

He taught her how to tell the difference between a human breath and a small gust of wind. How to tell which way a person was moving by the sounds their feet made. How to hear the direction of a speeding Shuriken.

Many, many hours later they moved into Hand-to-hand fighting (Huurin's specialty), and after many an ice pack for Mato, he pronounced her fit to the travel.

"Hehe...you take can take a punch quite well...say, I still don't know your name. Would you mind telling me it since you know mine?" The raven haired kunoichi asked, walking with Mato's help back to the camp.

"Well...er...Its..." Mato stammered, thinking of a quick lie. "they-erm...call me...Yuremaru!"

The Tenrikyo frowned and sighed. "Why don't you just tell me what your real name is?" she asked in a semi-irritated tone.

"I assure you Huurin-sama, that is my real name." Mato said, attempting to sound convincing.

"Oh really? Yuremaru of which clan?"

"Er...I'd rather not say... My clan is from a foreign village...I..er...was seperated from them a number of years ago, and grew up here!"

_Please...Please believe that..._Mato thought, waiting for her response.

"Eh, Whatever." Huurin said, sitting down by the campfire unassisted. Mato breathed a small sigh of relief.

"I just hope your not this rude when you take me back to my family" She added, laying down on her stomach on the make-shift bed Mato had made for her.

"Erm...well...we leave tomorrow, bright and early ok Huurin-sama?" Mato said, avoiding the question like it was an arrow with a poison tip.

"Please _Yuremaru_, call me Huurin-chan! I hate it when people treat me different just because my family is the ruling clan of the village!" Huurin said, rolling onto her side.

"Sorry Huurin-sama...I can't change" Mato said quietly. What he said was true, he felt that he could never talk to anyone like an equal. He knew he was hated in the village, and even when he disguised himself to do odd jobs, he still referred to everyone like they were his superiors, even small children, let alone the daughter of the leader of the entire village.

"What was that Yuremaru-kun?" the sleepy Tenrikyo said, rolling over on her other side.

"Nothing...you can sleep, I'll keep watch again" Mato said, staring into the fire.

"Are...you..." She fell asleep before she could finish the question.

Mato looked over at her and blushed a little. He almost felt like he was a normal person, something he pined for. He still didn't quite know why he was hated, because he had no one to ask. He thought it had something to do with his eyes, and how they changed. He figured he must have been some kind of a freak, and that the villager's were just intolerant. And he truly felt that the only reason that Huurin didn't hate him was the fact that she had no way of knowing who he was. But he felt some feeling of friendship, or what he imagined friendship to be like, when he trained with her today.

He shook the tought away and went back to staring at the fire until it started going out. The sun came up, and even after two sleepless days, Mato was still fully awake. He packed everything he could without waking his guest up. He put out the fire by smothering it so the smoke emitted was reduced greatly.

Just about a half an hour later, Huurin awoke, yawning widely and stretching. Today it would probably be ok for her to remove the eye bandages, but Mato told her to keep them on just to be safe. Well, partly just to be safe, and also partly to keep his identity secret.

They started out into the forest after a light breakfast and the first half of the day passed rather uneventfully. As soon as the sun started setting, they got a little more defensive. Defensive means that every poor squirrel that hopped onto a tree behind them, it got two shuriken thrown at it.

(Author's note: No Squirrels were harmed in the making of this fanfic. Although I saw one fall out of a tree today and just about laughed up a lung)

The band of ninja that had attacked them had arrived on the boarders of the Kage gakure no sato right when Mato predicted they would, and they quickly turned around. With no ransom child, they had no reason to be there, other than to meet a gruesome fate at the hands of the local ANBU squad. One of them was scouting ahead for enemy shinobi that were heading back to the village, when he spotted two youth's: one that was blindfolded, and one that had strange, glowing white eyes with no pupils and a curvy black box around his retina instead.

He recognised them as being the pair that had illuded them earlier and he hurriedly returned to his group with news of their good fortune. The regrouped and devised a plan: silently kill the boy, and quickly insert one of their members using a tranformation jutsu. This way she wouldn't try and fight back until it was too late. What they didn't count was the power of the Tsuki Bloodline.

The quickly surrounded the two of them, or what they thought was them. Tsuki Mato was terrible at taijutsu, and his ninjutsu capabilities were limited. But he fought on a nearly Kage level with genjutsu. His Kegaregan quickly noticed their assailants and he trapped them in a rather simple illusion. He tricked their minds into looking away for a split second, long enough for him to pick up Huurin and start running, while leaving an extra illusion of them standing still. The enemy ninja simply thought they were tired, and when they silently sprung from the shadows, the explosive tags he had left wrapped around kunai and shruriken exploded, sending the weapons into the bodies of the attackers. Three died instantly out of the band of five. One was injured enough to retreat and leave the rest of them, but the lucky last member had survived and hurried to take vengence on the two who had decieved them.

"What happened!" Huurin demanded as Mato continued sprinting with her in his arms.

"Enemy shinobi! I managed to trick them with an illusion, but I don't know how many survived the explosive trap I left." Mato explained as the village came into sight. Luckily he spotted a local Jounin on patrol.

Mato grew sad on the inside. He knew that the time he had with his almost-friend was up.

"Hey, Huurin-sama..." he spoke softly as they neared the gates. "Would you consider me...a friend?"

"Uh..that a strange question. But, yeah! You saved my life twice! And you like Shrimp flavored ramen! Your defidently someone that I would consider a friend!" The beautiful kunoici said sincerly.

A tear welled up in one of Mato's non-transformed eye. He hadn't cried since the day the Kumorikage had sent for him. But her words made him feel like he wasn't hated anymore. He shook his head and remembered what awaited him in the village.

"Then...I'm sorry about this" he said, placing a hand on her head and barraging it with a direct genjutsu, sending her into a deep sleep. Hopefully she wouldn't remember him when she awoke, but such things could never be certain.

He reached the Jounin and hid his face from her. "This is Huurin Tenrikyo...I didn't hurt her...she was temporarily blinded by a flashbomb, but she should be fine no---" he was stopped mid sentence by a spear sticking through his kidney as he handed over the unconscious teen to the female jounin. His attacker twisted the spear, making Mato roar in pain as the weapon was removed. "NOW DIE!" the spear-wielding ninja yelled, making a thrust for Mato's heart. He would never connect to his vital organs though, as several kunai pierced his skin, kunai volleyed by three other jounin that had been on patrol.

Blood pooled out of Mato as he was rushed to the medic tent. He had enough mental awareness to cover up his eyes with his forehead protector, hoping no one would recognise him.

The female jounin had passed the Tenrikyo youth to another on patrol jounin and was actually the one who carried him to the medic squad. She knew the wound was fatal, and wanted to try and save his life because he had saved her sister's life.

"Hurry up! We need to stop this bleeding first! Then we can start to repair his tissues!" The head medic yelled to his team. They all started working on the injured Tsuki, and truth be told, he might have been pronounced Dead on Arrival had they known his identity.

His disguise didn't fool Samui, the elder sister of Huurin. She could tell he was the infamous Tsuki of the village, and her knowledge of the clan's sins was overridden by the fact that he didn't drop her sister when he was impaled by the sharp spear. He flinched and a coughed up a little bit of blood, but the way he had been gently holding her never changed. He made sure that she was secured before turning to face his attacker. It was this dedication that convinced Samui that he not only wasn't lying, but that he deserved the chance to live.

After thirty minutes of constant chakra application, the bleeding finally stopped. They needed to rest however before they could repair his tissues. It was during this rest time that Mato went into shock. They did all that they could, but they couldn't bring him out of it with their shortage of chakra. His heartbeat ceased its regular 'thump thump' after five minutes of this...


	4. Chapter 4

Hey everybody! I know you hate cliffhanger's as much as I do, which is why I waited to publish chapter three until chapter four was finished!

I hope you enjoy!

Chapter Four: Broken Silence.

After his attack, Mato's mind slowly started to cease functioning. He remembered that he was doing something important, and then there was a searing pain, and then there was just confusion. He was aware of people gathering around him, and a gentle warming instead of pain. He felt important suddenly, and also very relaxed. His muscles tensed up suddenly and he felt a sense of chaos in his mind, before everything went blank. All of a sudden, he was standing in an endless field of white flowers. The sky was the color of a lotus petal, and he looked around. He was alone in this place for a moment, before a shining figure appeared before him. He couldn't look into its eyes, but it had a feminine figure and it was smiling at him.

"Sweet Mato...you saved her you know" The Shining Woman said in a booming tone.

"Saved who?" he wondered aloud before it all rushed back to him. "Huurin-sama?" he answered his own question.

"Yes...she would have died without your intervention. As would you have without mine. You went into shock and were pronounced dead. I sent your soul back into your body and helped the medics revive you fully..." The Spirit said, still smiling.

"Oh...Thank you! " he said,bowing down on his knee's to the spirit. Inwardly, he started to feel resentment towards the spirit. He was finally free! He would have cleared his family name! People might stop hating him if he died heroically! This also would have been a release from his suffering in that world! He was now very troubled inwardly, but he was still very respectful.

"Ahh...don't think like that little one...your suffering will not be in vain..." The woman said in a softer tone, walking gracefully over to Mato and lifting him to his feet.

"We expect great things from you...your life so far has been nothing but the overture...you still have an entire symphony to compose with it. I am sorry to say it, but when you wake up, the people will not treat you differently. Your blood will continue to stain you in their eyes for a great deal of time. And I am also sorry to say that your sorrows, your suffering, and your troubles will not end either, but they will continue in a different way. A new way. You have had no one to tell you why the village resents you. Your clan was one of the founding clans of your village. They did the dirtiest work of the entire campaign. And they wanted power for it. But then they tried to take it. They were overthrown and disbanned. Enraged, they went on the most terrible murdering spree the village has ever seen. They killed men, women, and children. In the streets. Over one third of the village fell from their attacks. That is why they hate you. There are also some new things you need to know. The one that you saved will not be told who her savior was. No one will know of your deeds, save the one who saved you. Her older sister Samui was the one, and she alone knows that you are different. That you aren't the same as your relatives. That your father's sins are not your own. She will be the leader of the Shinobi Team you will be assigned to. Your other teammates will be Ekiro Etsuna and, the one you saved, Huurin Tenrikyo. Only Samui will know of your deeds, and the other two will only know you by what they have heard. You will be looked down upon. People will hate you. But don't you give in to death Mato. As long as you want to live, you will."

"...with all due respect Lord Kami...why would you tell me this? I didn't want to go back when things would have been the same, let alone when they get worse in new ways! Please! Just let me go!" He begged, throwing himself at the Goddess's feet, pleading for mercy.

"Stand up Mato" he did so. "I told you this for one simple reason: Your life will also improve in one special way: love. If you persevere, I promise you that the one that you love will return it fully, and happiness will follow you the rest of your days when you achieve this. And when you wed this one that you love, people will start to see your deeds, not your parent's deeds. You will not only be respected by the people close to you, but by entire villages. The world will change because of you."

"...I don't know these words...love...respect...change..." Mato said sullenly.

"You will, Young Hero, you will..."

Mato returned to the living world with a blinding flash. He was in a hospital bed, machines beeping all around him.

"So...I survived after all...was it just a dream?" he wondered aloud. A single dove flew in through the open window. It landed on his arm and handed him a small slip of paper. He took it and the dove seemed to glow as it flew away. He unravelled the paper and read the only word written on it : Hero.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Thanks so much for reading chapter Four! This offically ties the number of chapters I have written in one sitting. In honor of you guys, I will break that record NOW!

Enjoy chapter 5 now!


	5. Chapter 5

As promised, Chapter 5 is here!

Chapter Five: A Hero Emerges

Five days after his dream vision, he was released from the hospital. So far, the Kami he had seen was right, nothing had really changed. The people still resented him. He was still alone. He loved no one. Yet, almost to prove the Goddess wrong, he didn't want to die. The first thing he set to prove wrong was the team he was supposed to be on. He would be suprised if his name even made it to the rejected list, at least that would recognise him as a shinobi. The lists were posted and the day after he looked at it, almost smugly. That was, until he read his name under Team 9, comprised of Samui Tenrikyo as the Jounin leader, Ekiro Etsuna, Huurin Tenrikyo, and himself.

He stood there, slackjawed for a few moments before walking away. He was supposed to meet at the edge of the forest the following morning with his team for introductions.

Meanwhile at the Etsuna Mansion

"Dad! How could you let this happen!" An angry Ekiro demanded of his father.

"What? I put you on a team with your beloved Huurin" His father said, a slight mocking tone in the last few syllabols.

"Don't play dumb! You put me in a team with that Tsuki Scum!" He snapped.

"Well, I had to put him on a team, Kumorikage's orders. I just thought that two of the Shadow Village's finest young shinobi could balance out this degenerate. Anyone else might fall for his tricks, but not the two of you. Besides, you and Huurin may become close protecting eachother from this monster!" The Eldest Etsuna said, smiling broadly at his son.

"...You have a point father. You seem to have a point afterall, I'm sorry for doubting you" the young one said, bowing and exiting.

I wonder how Huurin's taking this

Plates crashed against an overturned desk as a young girl screeched at a hiding kumorikage.

"WHAT THE HELL DID YOU DO? DO YOU WANT ME TO _DIE_!" Huurin said, hurling more and more plates, vases, and other breakable objects.

"Huurin! Stop! It had to be done! You will be on this team, OR YOU CAN GO BACK TO THE ACADEMY!" Her Father Roared, instantly stopping her barrage.

"Fine...but I won't like it!" She pouted, stomping off.

Samui had been outside, laughing like crazy. She was a lighthearted soul, and the irony was killing her. She had given a full report about Huurin's savior to her father, who had instructed her to remain silent on the identity of the one who had delivered her. And now, her sister had been placed on the same team as the one who had saved her life, and she HATED the idea!

"Ahhahahahhahahahaha! oh...I can't take it!" Samui howled in the hallway. She had heard many a time what Huurin imagined her savior to be, even though she had never seen him she had invented physical characteristics. For instance, Yuremaru was ambidextrious instead of left or right handed, with the ability to write differnt things with each hand. And now, when she was going to meet him, she thought it would be HORRIBLE!

Samui finally shook off the laughter, instead doing the tedious work of planning the next day's events for the team.

She sighed and sat down at her desk, thinking aloud "well...they're defidently going to need some teamwork training before they go on any mission...gah. I can't worry about this now!" She said, standing up. She had long, flowing red hair that reached the middle of her back, and piercing blue eyes. Her body was different from her sister's slender build, she had fully filled out at an early age and her muscles were also improved over her sister's build. She wasn't outrageously buff, but her arms had the bumps and curves of a well toned bicep. She was the desire of many a fellow shinobi, but had remained single for most of her life. At one point she had 'dated' a prominent member of the Etsuna clan, but their encounter had left that member with a broken nose and fractured arm. She was indeed a hard woman to get close to. Also she was a very bright woman, she had broken the record for achieving Jounin rank the year before at the age of 16.

She wondered how Mato was taking this as she ran a brush through her long hair. _Out of everyone on the team, I hope he learns to live with himself first..._She thought, yawning.

_Oh...well..._ she drifted off to sleep soon and didn't worry about it until the next day.

On the first day of them offically being a team, one of its members arrived three hours before scheduled. Mato thought that it would be better if they saw him first, that way they couldn't think he was trying to hurt them. Since learning about his murderous parents, he had been extra careful yo be non-threatening.

The arrogant Etsuna arrived thirty-two precise minutes early.

"Well well well...I didn't know that they ley Dogs join Shinobi teams without an owner." He sneered.

Mato remained uneffected. Ekiro's words didn't even phase Mato's thoughts, which were on the words of the spirit.

"You know, thanks to you, this entire team is disgraced by your membership. I envy all of the other teams, but I see the logic in the decisions: they put the weakest, most worthless 'shinobi' with the two strongest, most honorable ninja to balance it." Ekiro said, laughing haughtily.

Again, Mato didn't flinch.

"You know what, I'm in the mood for a little bit of sparring before the orientation. Stand up." he practically ordered his teammate.

Mato looked over at Ekiro to trap him in one of his Genjutsu. In this one, Ekiro was fighting an imaginary Mato, and winning quite easily. It was the same thing he had used at the academy.

The other two members of the team arrived in time to see Mato staring at the sky as Ekiro danced around, throwing punches and kicks at an invisible foe.

"Ekiro, what the hell are you doing?" Huurin asked bluntly.

"I'm kicking this Tsuki's ass!" he said, pushing the illusion that only he could see to the ground as the Tenrikyo looked at each other, confused.

"Uhh...your not fighting anything...he's over there" Samui said, pointing at the real one which of course Ekiro coudln't see.

"Oops...sorry I didn't see you guys." Mato said, releasing the genjusu that had held Ekiro.

"What the hell? How did you do that? Why aren't you hurt!" The confused Etsuna said.

"Its called Genjutsu Ekiro-baka. He tricked you into thinking you were fighting him by using his chakra to effect your senses. All it takes is one small little trigger, like looking into his eyes." Huurin said, trying to stop herself from bursting into laughter.

"I know what Genjutsu is! There's no way this weakling could get into a great mind like mine!" Ekiro protested.

"Gomen...You wanted to fight...and I was kinda tired. You seemed to enjoy it" Mato said, bowing to Ekiro, who threw a punch at his head. His punch made no contact, and he lost his balance, falling over. He was again the victim of Mato's genjutsu.

The foolhardy Etsuna would try this a whole five more times before Samui broke it up.

"Ok...now that we're done with that" The Jounin said, winking at the Etsuna with a bandaged scalp. (to get him to stop, she had whacked him so hard on the head that he seemed mildly cuncussed)

"Lets do today's lesson: Teamwork. This one is a classic, I have two bells, your job is to take one of them from me and you will be offically moved into the rank of Genin. Loser has to go back to the academy. Although this time...you have 30 minutes. Starting...Now!" she gave the signal to start and two of the three shinobi leapt out into the shadows.

"Why haven't you left yet? Aren't you trying?" She asked Mato, who hadn't seemed to move.

"I don't see why...I already have one of your bells" he said, holding up a bell.

Samui was shocked! She reached down at her side where the bells were, and saw that they were still there. She looked up, and he was gone!

_Impressive...he actually caught me in a Genjutsu to distract me_ She thought, using a Genjutsu reversal jutsu and rechecking the bells. _Yup...all there..._

29 minutes later, Huurin and Ekiro were both caged and bell-less. They couldn't escape with any techniques, and Mato was no where to be found.

Just when she reached up to click her stopwatch and end the event, five clones appeared from the forest, charging toward her. Two released his teammates from their cages, and three rushed headlong. "Ha...Miraigan!" Samui said, activating her Kekkei Genkai. She forsaw all of the clone's attacks and prevented them easily. What she didn't notice was that one of them had made eye contact. Four more clones raced towards her, while the Illusion Cloaked original raced out from behind and snagged both of the bells.

"Samui-Sensei...I have them both" Mato said from behind, dispelling the remaining clone she hadn't disposed of.

"Impossible! you used such basic techniques! This must be another illusion! KAI!" Samui said, still defensive, using the jutsu to cancel illusions. He was still holding bells. She was still missing bells.

"How?" the Sensei demanded. She had never been bested! Especailly by a Genin!

"One of my clones. You probably didn't notice since it was just a brief moment, but you made eye contact, which was enough for me to catch you in an illusion and maintain it until I had completed the objective." Mato said.

"That's impossible! The Kumorikage is still working on doing jutsu like that!" The Jounin said. If he was telling the truth, she was very impressed with this youth.

"Well...Genjutsu is all I have sensei, so I use it wisely. I was kind of hoping you'd underestimate me and think I was doing the same attack twice, but usually the first attack is a feint, and the second attack is similar, but different enough to end it." He said, looking down almost in shame.

She lifted up his face by the chin and looked into his eyes. "You got talent kid" she said, beaming at him.

"Well, I want them to advance. Ekiro-sama and Huurin-sama...I do not think they will get along with me, and I don't want to burden you Sensei"

"Nonesense! Your a valuable member of this team! If the other two will learn to use your skills with theirs, Team Nine will advance faster than any of the others! Come on kid, I'll treat you to some Ramen! Huurin, you and Ekiro train some more, work on developing a bond with your jutsu" Samui said, putting an arm around Mato and leading him away. _This kid looks like he could use a friend...and besides it'll be easier to unite this team in chunks. After these two get friendlier, all I need to do is connect this little one with them.._

"S-sensei? What are we doing?" Mato asked, his own silver eyes meeting her sharp blue eyes as she led him away.  
"You and me are going out for Ramen! And maybe a little Sake for the sensei..." she smiled at him and giggled. They entered the best restraunt in town and imediatly got a seat, and some very strange looks from the other customers. ("Is that the Tsuki boy Samui-sama is sitting with?" "Look! A Tenrikyo eating with that monster!")

"Sooo...what will you have Mato-kun?" Samui asked, scanning the menu herself as a waiter came by.

"Um...just a bowl of white rice for me thank you..." Mato said, folding his menu. He was trying to be polite and not order a large meal for himself.

The waiter began marking that down when Samui interrupted "Nevermind that...We'll each have a plate of the spicest curry in the house, chicken and shrimp ramen, and some fried rice. Also, I'd like a bottle of your finest sake" She said, smirking at her guest.

"Samui-sensei...you really didn't need to order so much food for me...I don't want to be a burden" the Kegaregan posessing youth said shyly.

"Ahh...Nonsense! You deserve it! Its the least I can do for your brave offer to escort a beautiful lady home after she has drunk sake!" She said, smiling mischevously at Mato.

"Are you planning on getting drunk Sensei?" He blurted, and then blushed in embarrassment.

"No! Not at all! But its something that _could _happen, and as a shinobi you need to be prepared for anything! Yay!" A happy Samui said as the waiter placed the said bottle of sake on the table. She tore through the first bottle rapidly, and Mato could see how the night would end: he would end up carrying her passed out body to her Father, who would probably assume he had given the sake to her, and he'd be hung. Well, probably not _hung_ but he didn't feel that there was a plesent future instore for him.

They enjoyed their meal, and she greatly enjoyed he sake. She hadn't passed out, but she was pretty wasted by the time Mato had decided it was time for them to leave.

Also, he didn't need to carry her home, he just had to have his hands ready incase she stumbled, which happened a lot.

"I'm glad I took you out for this Mah-toh-kun" she said, tripping again into his arms. Their faces were inches apart as he steadied her. "Your kinda cute ya know that Mah-toh-kun?" she said, smiling widely and standing up again.

"Sensei...we need to get you home fast..." He said, blushing at her comment. He had enjoyed the dinner with her, and he had that same feeling of friendship he had before with Huurin. He felt normal with her. Although he did not have time to reflect on these feelings, as the people who were also walking at that night shot them strange looks. Samui doesn't really respond well to that sort of thing.

"HEY! SCHREW YOU! HASN"T YOU PEOPLES EVER SHEEN A WOMAN BFORE!" She screamed at the staring people in a drunken firestorm of anger. Mato placed his hand over her mouth to silence her, and it worked, until she bit him and started giggling like crazy.

Mato shook off his hand and looked at his sensei.

"Hey...hey..hey...I know!" she said, snickering as she talked " I know your secret Mis-ter!" she poked him in the chest on both syllabols of Mister.

"What secret? Everyone in this village knows who I am..." He said somberly, only to smile as he looked at the drunk jounin who had been smiling at him.

"No...I mean I know...you saved my sister! and you almost died! YOUR SOO SWEET!" She started off whispering to him, then yelling the last part loudly, stopping all other pedrestirans with her words.

"Please...Stop Sensei! I need to get you home now!" Mato said, picking her up and rushing up to her family's estate.

"Hey...hey..hey where we goin'?" Samui asked, her eyes shifting left and right.

"Gomen sensei...you are drunk. I am taking you home." Mato said, adjusting his grip slightly as her house came into view.

"You dooooo care!" the drunk sensei said, kissing Mato on the lips softly. This stopped Mato in his tracks. The sake on her lips burned his a little, but as soon as he knew what was happening, he pulled away.

"Sensei! What are you doing!" He said, chalking it up to the booze. She couldn't really care about him.. He was a Tsuki.

"I dunno...your a cute little genin..." she pinched his cheeks and then finally passed out. She was a seventeen year old Elite Class Jounin, and he was a Fifteen year old disgrace-to-the-village Genin. She couldn't possibly know what she had done to him just then with that simple act. But it was almost as painful as the spear that had pierced his side.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Gah! I just can't stop! Chapter Six on the way!


	6. Chapter 6

Whooooooooo! I broke the record again! Four chapters at once! YAY!

Chapter Six: Confusion and Parliment.

He had delivered her home safely. Apparently they were used to her being dropped off in a drunken stupor by strangers. "At least this time it was by one of her teammates" Her mother had said upon her arrival. Her sister had returned about an hour earlier from training with Ekiro. She said she couldn't stand him, but there was a distinct sigh in her voice when she thought of him. It was his confidence she liked. And he had plenty. He liked her because she was from a better clan, and she could kick his butt in a taijutsu fight.

Mato went home confused at what had happened.

(this part is kinda confusing. Italic is one part of Mato's personality. Underline is the other part)

_She was drunk, when she wakes up, she probably won't even remember what she said or did._

But she said you I was cute! And she Kissed Me on the lips!

_SHE WAS DRUNK! SHE HAD NO INTEREST IN YOU!_

How can I tell for sure? Maybe she meant it!

_IDIOT! DON'T YOU GET IT! SHE'S A TENRIKYO! YOU ARE A MONSTER! YOU ARE HATED IN THE VILLAGE! SHE IS A JOUNIN! YOU ARE A FREAKIN GENIN! SHE WOULD HAVE MADE OUT WITH A TREE! NOW SHUT UP AND START FORGETTING THE WHOLE GODDAMN THING EVER HAPPENED!_

This pretty much ended the inner conflict.

Game goes to: Italic Mato.

The morning went rather bad for Samui. She woke up with a massive hangover, and the events of last night ran through her head. "Uugh...I did what!"She said, outraged at her own memory. (another round of Underline VS Italic)

_Great...I kissed a Genin...dammit...what do i say to the guy?_

You kissed a cute Genin!

_He's still a Genin! And he's on your team! He's your student!_

Not with those skills! He could be a Chuunin or Jounin within a year!

_He's a Tsuki! What will people think? Not that I'm actually considering it! He's waay too shy! Not my type at all!_

Since when do you give a damn what people think! And I think you are! He's only two years younger than you are! Don't use that lousy excuse! He's charming! And you can teach him to be outspoken!

_What! Ok, So I don't care about other people! And so what if he's only two years younger than me! So's Huurin! You don't see me wanting to date her! And you can't teach someone to be outspoken! I'd have to undo 15 years of damage! So what if he has soft lips! I mean..._

AHA! YOU HAVE TO TALK TO HIM! Imagine what's racing through his mind right now! Besides, you request for him to take the Chuunin exams, he's out of your team! For Kami-sake! Your a genius yourself Samui! You can do it!

_I dunno...He...he is cute though!_

(Game: Underline)

And so, Samui arranged for her student to meet her in the same restraunt as they had been in the night before. When she arrived, Mato was being thrown out. It seems that the restraunt owners didn't believe that she had invited him again, and he had respectfully tried to tell them that he was indeed supposed to be there.

"Hey! Chill people, he's with me!" The Tenrikyo prodigy said, hauling Mato in and sitting in a booth across from him.

"Erm...Sensei?" Mato said, wondering what he was trying to ask her.

"Hold on for a moment Mato, I need to say something...erm...it seems that last night...I..erm...did some things...I kissed you...an-"

"I know sensei! You were drunk! It meant nothing! I won't let it effect the way I listen to your orders! I understand, I'm already forgetting it Samui-sen--" he was silenced by her hand coming smoothly down and striking him on the face.

"I said I needed to say something...sorry...but..when you saved my sister...I gained a respect for you. You were handing her to me, and I immediatly knew who you were. And I had some deep suspicions about your actions. I thought, maybe, you had done it and just didn't want the consequence. But when you were stabbed...and you didn't even flinch because you thought that it would hurt her...I could tell...Sorry, but I had to use my Miraigan to tell what you were thinking...and I'd..erm...like to do that again so I know what to say...if that's ok...:" she said, taking out an ink pen and holding it up.

"Umm...sure..." he said, blushing from her statement that she respected him.

She drew a seal on his forehead and took in the entire inner arguement he had earlier with himself.

"How...sad...you value your life so little..." She said, her piercing blue eyes softening.

"..." Mato was silent as the emotions built up inside of him. "I feel that way...because of ...how i was raised...All i get from this village is a feeling of hate...they resent me...and I know it...I fear them so much...I think that everyday they are another step closer to just saying I don't deserve to live anymore! I'm tired! Tired of the Fear! Tired of the Hate! Most of all Sensei, I'm tired of not having a purpose!" he bursted into tears at the last part. He wiped them off quickly and looked away with teary eyes.

"Mato..." Samui said, her heart racing as she placed her hand over his. "I value your life...not just as your sensei...but as someone who admires you! You could easily become a Chuunin or Jounin! All you need is the chance! I don't hate you either...and I don't want you to die! Your purpose can be with me!" she threw her arms around him and pulled him into a tight hug.

"Samui-sensei...thank you...no one...has ever said such a thing to me...you make me feel...accepted...almost...important..." Mato said, wrapping his arms around her and not letting go.

"Baka...you are accepted...by me at least...I like you a lot Mato...your so caring! You barely knew me or my sister! And you saved her twice!" She said, giving him a peck on the cheek.

Mato blushed deep red and he released her.

"Mato-kun...I like you a lot...I want to be with you...do you truly feel the same way?" She said slowly. It sounded so corny, she knew, but she had to ask.

"Samui-sensei...what will people think?"

"Screw the people! I like you more than anyother stuck up guy my parent's have ever introduced me to, or any of the bar hounds that have tried to pick me up! If i could pick anyone...It would be you Mato-kun...and please, call me Samui-chan..." she said, pulling him closer.

"I'd...love to...Samui-chan" Mato said she pressed her lips gently against. For the first time in his life, he felt that he was lucky. That he had been in the right place at the right time. His beautiful sensei parted from his lips and smiled.

Everything was right with the world in that one, shining moment. But as he caught a glimpse of himself in a mirror sitting across from Samui, he felt a pang of guilt. Here was possibly the only person in the world who cared about him. She said she admired him even! She wanted to be with him, but sadly he knew that he couldn't allow this.

_She's in the highest social class...I'm worth less than dirt to this village. Who has the most to lose? She does...I can't let this happen. I've known suffering and prejudice. I don't want Samui...the one person who said they cared...the one person who really cared...I won't let her suffer the way I do!_

In that moment, both sides of his mind agreed instanteously. He had been a fool to think that it could work out, even for a second. He felt the pupil's in his eyes transform and knew that the look that had almost gotten him killed as a child was back. He stood up and his his cursed eyes, which were now tearing up, with a deep bow.

"I'm sorry Samui-sensei...I..I can't. I can't be with you." He said, letting one tear fall to the ground before fleeing the restraunt. He hoped she understood.

And she did, but ooooh was she pissed! She hadn't yet released the mind reading jutsu and had heard the united voices of his dopplegangers.

She let him flee, deciding to do something a little more drastic later that evening, to show him how much she didn't give a damn about what other people think.

_What can they do? I'm the Heir to the Tenrikyo Clan! The Freakin' Kumorikage's Clan! They can whisper, but they will still have to respect me, and they will have to respect Mato as well! I'll just get Father's approval...ooh...ouch. That's going to be a challenge. I'll think of something. He's special. Everyother guy in this village is so worried with their image, with being better. So arrogant. Guh...but this kid...er..this young man is so hopelessly unaware of his own potiential. He's already almost as strong as I am! And he's cute_! Yes...and he's cute.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Ok! Its 3:18 in the morning, and I'm done for right now!

I hope you don't think this last chapter was too bad, but i felt it needed to be done. And I couldn't stay up till 4 :D R&R Thanks a ton!

Chapter Seven Coming SOON!


End file.
